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Someone Will Strike a Match
My father was shaving. I was standing in the hallway. He looked out from the bathroom, razor in hand, foam on his face, and said: By the way, you're Jewish . Then he continued to shave. Kyiv. Late 1980s. I was nine years old. I had never heard this word before. Where am I Jewish? What part of me? I didn't ask. He didn't explain. The moment passed like a small strange bird through an open window. I am still trying to understand where it landed. Years later I made a play about
Igor Golyak
Dec 14, 20255 min read


Adventures in Theatreland interview: staging The Wanderers
Q) Hello Igor. Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions today. Before we begin, please could you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background as a theatre director and what it was about theatre that inspired you to make this your career? Thank you for having me. I am Igor Golyak, and like many who came of age in the former Soviet Union, theatre was not simply a career choice—it was a necessity, a breath. I was born in Kyiv, trained at the Russi
Igor Golyak
Oct 19, 20257 min read


The Theater of Questions (Or Why I'm Allergic to Answers)
There's this recording I stumbled upon recently—Georgy Tovstonogov speaking to a crowd sometime in the Soviet era, his voice crackling...
Igor Golyak
Oct 2, 20253 min read


For My Wanderers: Jacob and Esther
My dear ones, Tonight, after rehearsing "The Wanderers," I write to you from an empty theatre that still holds the echo of snow falling....
Igor Golyak
Sep 24, 20253 min read


The Laboratory of Exile: Notes from a Residency
There is a moment in every rehearsal room when the sacred reveals itself. Not through grand gestures or proclamations, but in the quiet...
Igor Golyak
Aug 11, 20254 min read


Wrestling with Absurdity: Notes from the Laboratory
As I sit here preparing for my NYTW summer residency at Dartmouth, my mind keeps circling back to Eugene Ionesco's Delirium like a moth...
Igor Golyak
Jul 23, 20255 min read
Absence as Presence: Our Journey to Poland and Some Scattered Thoughts
I buttoned up emotionally for our research trip to Poland. We went to meet playwright Tadeusz Słobodzianek and to explore the real...
Igor Golyak
Mar 26, 20252 min read


The Dueling Igors: Where Multiple Personality Disorder Saves on Rehearsal Space
There is a split personality disorder happening inside my skull every day. I don't mean the clinical kind that requires medication...
Igor Golyak
Mar 25, 20252 min read


How a Russian Submarine Emerged in Needham: The Accidental Birth of Arlekin
I thought I'd share the strange, stumbling journey of how our theater company came to be...
Igor Golyak
Mar 24, 20253 min read


Beyond Borders: When Speaking English Isn't Enough
There is this moment I remember vividly—it was years ago and I was standing outside of a major theater in Boston, my English competent...
Igor Golyak
Mar 19, 20255 min read


Our Class Comes to Boston: Why This Moment Matters
We're bringing Our Class to Boston this June. This isn't just another play we're staging—it's something much more urgent, something that...
Igor Golyak
Mar 18, 20253 min read
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